Disclosure
by usheringkatie
Summary: Carena, a she dwarf, tells her daughters tales of dwarf maids who were rescued by dwarf warriors. Carena would love to hear her mother tell a similar tale that is actually her own. But this story that Liena tells her daughter, this sweet and special story, only brings Liena hurt and longing.
1. Story Untold

Chapter 1: A Story Untold

"She ran through the woods trying to outrun the dragon, but eventually, it cornered her and I thought I was done for," said Carena.

"What happened, next!" said the little dwarf girl in excitement.

"The dragon leaned his claw in to grab her but before he could, a brave dwarf emerged from the bushes slashing the dragons arm off causing it to scramble back through the trees," said Carena.

The little dwarf girls gripped onto their pillows even tighter anticipating what would happen next sensing it would be romantic.

"And then, as the she dwarf laid there crying from the horror she had just gone through, the he dwarf came by her side and held her close, whispering in her ear that from now on, everything would be okay," said Carena more softly than she had been telling the story before.

"Did he kiss her!" asked another girl excited.

"Of course he did. Now I believe that it is time that you girls went to bed," said Carena, saying the last part with a strict tone in her voice.

"But we want to hear another story," said another little dwarf girl.

"Preferably one about a dwarf warrior saving a dwarf maiden."

"I would tell one last story, but I don't think I have anymore," said Carena in an irritated tone, "but I think I know who does," she said, her tone turning into an excited one. She turned to a woman who was in an adjoining room.

"Don't even consider it," said the old woman very stubbornly.

"Please, grandma," said the little dwarf girls, randomly.

Carena knew that there was no persuading her stubborn, old, mother to do anything that she did not want to do, "That's enough girls. It's time for bed." Carena took the three little sad dwarf girls up to their beds.

"Why did not you want to tell your granddaughters your story? You never even told me your story," said Carena after she joined her mother in the adjoining room.

"I never told anyone this story and have no desire to tell anyone," said the grandmother being short with her daughter.

"Is it something in your past?" asked Carena getting closer to her mother.

"Carena," said the grandmother rolling her eyes.

"Perhaps if you told someone…you might be a more joyful person," said Carena softly.

The old woman sat there thinking deeply about what her daughter had just said. This story that she held cooped up inside was something very personal and special to her. Probably the most special and meaningful experience of her life while at the same time the most tragic experience of her life, which is why she never shared it with anyone. It hurt far too much.

Carena started to walk away when her mother called her back, "Do you really care to know?"

Carena turned and stared back at her mother and then went back to the room and sat down.

"There was once a dwarf city known as Erebor. I did not live in this city until I was older only because when I was a lass, this city was lost to a dragon. The history of this story is well known to dwarves. Any dwarf who would happen to have my story would probably find being part of the history the most important and special part. However, the history is not the most important part to me. This part of my life was the part that I cherish the most."


	2. Children in the Garden

Chapter 2: Children in the Garden

"The proper place to begin would be with my childhood. As a little dwarf lass, my mother took me to a garden to play. My mother was not the only parent who took their child to this garden to play. Another dwarf, Dis, took her dwarf lads to this same garden. There, they played but it was not my sort of playing. I always preferred playing nice and gently, but not these lads. They loved to climb trees, shoot arrows, sling stones from slingshots, and fight with wooden swords. I was always quite irritated when they were there when I was. Sometimes I wanted peace and quiet and these lads probably had never heard of peace and quiet. But then, something else happened that was even worse than their presence in this garden. One day, one of them noticed me."

"Hi," said a dwarf lad as he came and sat by Liena.

"Hi," she said quietly giving the impression that she did not want to talk to him at all.

"I'm Kili," he said smiling down upon the little dwarf girl who hid her face by looking down at the ground, the wind blowing her long flowing, brown, hair in her face.

She looked up at Kili to reveal her face. Liena did this as a way of giving this dwarf a chance. He seemed to be friendly which was a twist for her. However, that twist was about to unroll with the following events.

Kili extended his little dwarf hand out to Liena's to shake it.

Since Liena was willing to give this little dwarf a chance, she shook it only to discover that something tickled her as she shook his hand. Liena furrowed her brow and pulled her hand away to see what this tickling sensation was. It was then that she discovered a little, green, snake slithering up her arm. She wiped it away with her other hand as she screamed.

Kili laughed at the sight of how frightened she was.

"What was that for? Why are you being so mean? I thought you would be nice," she said almost crying.

"It was just a joke. That snake wouldn't have harmed you," said Kili, trying to reassure Liena.

"Well it still wasn't very nice and not at all appreciated," declared Liena as she stood. She then immediately marched back to her mother.

"Wait! I didn't catch your name!" called Kili after her.

"Well, I was not planning on sharing it after that happened!" she yelled back at him.

"As my mother and I walked home, I told her that I did not want to go back to that garden for fear of my safety. She would not hear it. I told her of the situation but she told me that I can't let people push me around like that. So, against my will, she kept taking me to that garden to play. Everytime, I saw them. I saw him. The other one eventually came and introduced himself."

"Hi, I'm Fili; do you want to play with us?" he asked me.

"No thank you. I do not think that would go very well," I said stubbornly getting up from where I sat on the ground playing with my doll.

"Oh but it would be a lot of fun," said Kili trying to sound convincing.

"What do you think we could possibly play that the three of us could come to an agreement?" asked Liena.

Kili grabbed the doll that Liena held.

"Hey what are you doing? Give it back!" cried Liena.

"You have to grab it from one of us. That will be our little game," said Fili.

"That really doesn't sound like much fun. Now give me my doll back," she said holding out her hand.

Instead of listening to her, Kili and Fili threw it back and forth to one another.

"Give it back," she cried trying to grab the doll in mid air.

After running around for a while and Liena not being able to catch it, Kili and Fili finally gave up, said they won, and gave Liena her doll back.

"Excuse me but that game was very unfair. I don't think I could have ever grabbed it back," said Liena in her defense.

"Sure you could've," said Kili.

"After playing a couple more times, you'll probably get the hang of it," said Fili.

They both tried to be as nice as possible and Liena would not return this pleasant attitude or agree with them. She was angry and far too angry at them to even fight with them anymore. She stormed in the other direction back to her mother.

"Of course I kept going back there and saw them everytime until I grew out of my lass years. There was no contradicting my mother. She always told me what to do and I had to listen. Little did I know then how much of an impact my mother's opinion and those boys would have on my future...especially one.


	3. An Unexpected Journey

Chapter 3: An Unexpected Journey

"Years had gone by but that was not the end of seeing those dwarves. I kept seeing them as older dwarves at gatherings. You would think that as older dwarves they would have grown out of their immature pranks. If this is what you thought, you would be wrong. I do have to admit that as lads, they did not know when it was appropriate and inappropriate. As older dwarves, they knew when not to be juvenile. On the inside they were still juvenile and they never stopped behaving that way towards me. Though Fili sometimes liked to play pranks here and there on me, Kili was far more persistent in getting my attention. Another aspect about them that was different is how exactly they pranked. Sure they were still the adventurous types, but they were also flirts. They flirted with girls like there was no tomorrow and they teased them but only to infuriate them. To them, there was nothing like an angry girl. Do not think it was the just same pranks they would have played on girls when they were but lads. While they respected young dwarf maidens and would never do anything to harm their purity, they never minded stealing an innocent kiss here or there. They always loved to corner them and caress their soft, delicate, skin and whisper sweet things in their ears but once they got that far, then they would break out a nasty prank that infuriated the girl. It was so amusing for them. Kili mostly behaved in this manner towards me. Once, my mother, your grandmother, received an invitation to Thorin Oakenshield's birthday celebration. He never wanted attention like this, but his nephews loved throwing parties and having an excuse to drink and celebrate. Something that I was hoping would not happen happened at this party."

"Hello there, Liena," said Kili after he spoted me, "glad to see that you could come."

I looked up at the dwarf forcing a smile onto my face, "I'm glad to be here," said Liena.

"I didn't think you would come," he said stepping closer to me causing me to walk backwards further into the room.

"I would not miss one of your splendid celebrations," she chuckled.

Kili stood there staring down upon the dwarf maiden smiling.

"Let me guess, you're trying to think of a way to play a trick on me?"

He was only inches away from Liena at this point, "You know me all too well," he whispered.

I felt something tickling my shoulder. I paniced, scared to look and see what he had placed there. I then saw a spider crawling from my shoulder to my arm. "Kili!" I screamed hitting it off my arm. Liena gave Kili one last nasty look before storming away, letting the sound of his laughter drown out by the all the noise that surrounded her from the festivities.

As the celebration progressed, the dwarf warriors encouraged Thorin to get up and make a speech.

Thorin knew that his nephews wanted their to be some fun in his life but it was difficult to accept such entertainment. However, like a king, he stood up and gave a speech. "Fellow dwarves, I welcome you to this celebration that my beloved nephews have put together for me and I shall take the time now to thank them for it." Thorin turned to Fili and Kili and nodded his head toward them as he smiled.

The other dwarves applauded.

"However, I do have to admit that this celebration does not seem to me as much of a birthday celebration as a celebration for the possible reviving of our lost city."

The dwaves looked at each other curiously with muttering not knowing what he was talking about.

"Myself and several other dwarves will be going on a quest to take back Erebor!" said Thorin with a slight excited growl.

The dwarves sat and stared at Thorin shocked at what he said but then realized what this endeavor would mean which made everyone at the celebration applaud.

Liena was not sure how she felt about the dwarves attempting this. The Blue Mountains have been her home since as far back as she could remember. Though it was not as grand as other dwarf halls, it was still her home and she felt at home there. She did hear stories of Erebor and the great dwarves there. In a way, a company of dwarves going on an expedition to take back Erebor was exciting.

A few weeks after the celebration, as Liena sat in her home, her mother called for her to sit with her in the sitting area of her home. "Liena, do you remember at Thorin's birthday party when he announced the upcoming expedition of the dwarves to take back Erebor?"

"Carena, before I go any further, I must remind you of my family's fortune. I belonged to a wealthy family but I also had no father. Without a man as the leader of the household, it was very difficult to maintain one's fortune. My mother was very distressed about having to sell our things in order to maintain a living. So she asked something of me that seemed impossible."

Liena sat in a chair across from her mother, her back erect, wondering where this way going. "Yes?"

"I assume that you understand the reward these dwarves will be receiving who go on this quest?"

There was a moment of silence until Liena broke it, "Mother, what is this about?"

"Liena, do you know how great this reward would be? I assume you remember the story of the dragon who dwells there and the gold that he hordes. Liena, how exciting would it be if we possessed just a handful of this treasure so that we would not have to lose our fortune?"

"Mother, I am not risking my life for treasure when we don't need it. Do you understand how dangerous this would be?" said Liena standing from where she sat.

"Liena, we need that treasure. Are you saying you would rather see our precious things be sold? Are you defying your own mother?" said Liena's mother, accusingly rising from where she sat.

Liena looked to the floor regretfully. She could not disobey her own mother. In her mind, such a thing was unheard of. "Of course not, mother. If you really want me to seek out this treasure to save our fortune...I shall do so."

Her mother gently took her face in her hands, "That's my girl," she said before kissing her gently on the cheek. "You really are a blessing to me," she said.

"I was to be going on an unexpected journey. I still had no idea how I would convince Thorin Oakenshield to let me come. But I had to try. I had to try and find someway to be useful because there was no way I could ever defy my own mother.

**So something that I have been playing up on but forgot to put it into the plot summary is that this is suppose to be based off the Titanic movie that came out in 1997 that was directed by James Cameron. Just thought I'd let you guys know so that you didn't think I was ripping anything off. ;-) Hope you guys liked the chapter and don't forget to post a review at the bottom. ;-)**


	4. On the Way to Bagend

Chapter 4: On the Way to Bagend

Liena's mother truly did have a persistent, selfish, personality which Liena felt as her mother tied her cloak around her neck. She tied it a little tighter than Liena would have felt comfortable.

"What makes you think Thorin Oakenshield will let me into his company of dwarves?" asked Liena as he mother finished up tying the cloak around her neck.

"I explained the situation to him and he accepted," said Liena's mother.

Liena did not believe her mother's words, "Really?"

"Of course. As you know, I've always had a way with people," she said smiling.

Liena was fully aware of this fact from her own experience. "He's really going to let a young dwarf maiden trek with his company over hills and mountains, through caves and dungeons?"

"Of course! Liena, you will be very useful on this quest. Do you know how horrible the eyes of older dwarves are?"

Liena stared at her mother for a moment before answering her, "Yes."

"Thorin could use more good eyes for scout. It's not dangerous, it's helpful."

Liena gave her mother a look that said she couldn't think of a way to refute that statement. "I'm just not sure about this, mother," she said sorrowfully.

"Liena, don't disappoint me. You know it must be done," said her mother in a stern manner. "Now, the dwarves are meeting in the Shire and I have asked Mr. Balin to escort you," said her mother handing her the belongings that her mother put together for her.

"Mr. Balin?"

"Yes. Don't you remember Balin?" asked her mother, smiling.

"Of course I do...it's just that this is all very sudden," said Liena.

Liena's mother looked out the window,"Oh he is here right now," she briskly walked to her daughter, "You be a good girl now," she said holding her face in her hands, "I love you so much, dear," she said hugging her.

This was it; Liena would be going on the adventure that had been thrust upon her. She in no way felt ready for it but she knew she had to go. She received her mother's embrace by hugging her back. "And I love you, mother," she said, softly.

Liena's mother opened the door to see Balin standing on the other side. They embraced one another and kissed each other's cheeks, "Thank you so much for escorting her," said Liena's mother with a big smile on her face that irritated Liena.

"It truly is my pleasure." Balin turned to Liena, "Shall we be off then?"

Liena had to force a smile on her face, "We shall."

Balin smiled at Liena and gestured towards her pony which was waiting outside for her to load her belongings onto it. Once her belongings were on her pony, she heard her mother say her name from behind her. Liena turned to see her mother standing behind her.

She took her daughter in her arms one last time, "Be safe...for me," she said softly to her daughter.

Liena let her arms wrap themselves tighter around her mother, "Yes, mother," she sighed.

They pulled away from one another, Liena's mother giving her one last kiss on the forehead.

Liena then mounted her pony and they were off to the Shire.

They rode silently for a while, Liena breaking out into nervous habits until Balin noticed which caused him to break the slience, "Are you looking forward to this quest, lass?"

Liena's head shot up at the sound of Balin's voice. It startled her, "I would not say that I'm looking forward to it. It's just something that I must do," she said stumbling over her words.

Balin noticed how nervous she looked and knew that she was lying.

She was nervous about this quest but she didn't want to give any of the dwarves that impression. She didn't want them to think that they would be traveling with a helpless maiden who they would have to babysit. She smiled at her for her trepidation, "Are you sure about that?" He asked.

"Yes. Why? Do I not sound convincing?" she asked, hesitantly.

"To be honest, Liena, you don't," he said bluntly.

Liena looked down at the ground feeling frustrated.

"You know it's okay to be scared sometimes," he said.

"I just don't want Thorin to know that I feel scared."

"Liena, I think that every dwarf who is going on this endeavor may seem nothing but courageous lads, but are a little scared on the inside...even Thorin," said Balin looking to the ground with a little sorrow on his face.

"You think so?" asked Liena curiously.

"I do," he said looking back up at Liena.

"I always considered Thorin Oakenshield to be nothing but brave, courageous, and fearless," said Liena.

"No lass, I believe that he is afraid," said Balin.

"Anything in particular?"

Balin looked straight ahead looking as if he was thinking of what to say next, "I think he is afraid of failing," said Balin, finally.

"As I rode with Balin, the tension that was building inside of me dissipated. Balin gave off this calming, soothing, atmosphere and it was nice to hear that the other dwarves were probably nervous.. However, this dissipation soon disappeared; we arrived at the Shire and the Hobbit hole we were meeting in was in sight. As we rode up to the Hobbit hole, it seemed as if the hole became further and further away with every step the pony took. My heart was pounding and was desperate just to get to the door. Carena, I was so caught up with my emotions that I forgot to even realize who might be joining us on this quest."

**Hello readers! So I was very disappointed to see that I didn't get any reviews for the last chapter. If there is something wrong with the fanfiction, please let me know and I will be sure to meet your demands. If I still don't get reviews from this chapter, I will put off posting. So if you want more Disclosure sooner, simply review. I hope you loved the chapter and don't forget to leave a review on your way out. Happy reading!**


	5. A Merry Gathering

**Disclaimer: The only characters I own from this story are Liena and the members of her family. Everything else is borrowed. ;-)**

Chapter 5: A Merry Gathering

"Balin and I both stared at the Hobbit hole as we approached it. It was like no other home I had ever seen before with its odd, circular, shape. However, it did seem to be a cozy environment and believe me, through all the nervous tension I felt in my body, a cozy environment is just what I needed."

Balin walked up to the door and knocked.

"How do you know this is the right hobbit hole?" Liena asked as they waited for an answer.

"Gandalf the Grey said he would leave a mark that is the mark you behold on the door in front of you at this very moment," he said, pointing to a carving on the door that resembled a stick with two additional sticks growing out of it.

"Gandalf the Grey?" asked Liena.

"Why yes, he is the wizard who is aiding us on our quest. Did not your mother explain this all?" asked Balin, curiously.

Liena stood in this dwarf's presence feeling like a fool, but then realized it really was not her fault at all that she did not know that which was expected, "No. No she did not," she said in a furious manner that she attempted to hide. All her mother cared about was the prize. She didn't even think to tell Liena of little details that if Liena did not know of them she would look like a fool to the dwarves.

"The door of the hobbit hole opened to reveal a hobbit on the other side. The hobbit was very confused as to why we were there, which made Balin and I both feel concerned that perhaps we had the wrong hobbit hole. But then, out of the corner of our eyes, we beheld Dwalin in the hole. Dwalin was another dwarf warrior who, though good and harmless to other dwarves, one was hesitant to be around. He had tattoos on his arms and scalp, and many piercings. One could tell that he desired to seem nothing less than intimidating to the enemy."

Once Balin noticed Dwalin, he stepped into the hobbit hole and slowly made his way to Dwalin. Balin and Dwalin had been good friends for a very long time and at times their way of greeting one another was quite odd. One thing they did when greeting one another was bump foreheads.

The hobbit looked at the two dwarves with a look of confusion, which Liena was the only dwarf who noticed. "They have been friends for a very long time now and, though it seems odd, this is their way of greeting one another," said Liena feeling as if what she had just said made no sense to the hobbit.

Balin turned back around to face Liena, "Liena, dear, you remember Dwalin?" he said, stepping towards her.

"How could I forget?" said Liena smiling up at Dwalin.

"Oh Liena dear. How you've grown," he said, embracing her.

"Sorry, hate to interrupt, but I believe that you all have the wrong house," said the Hobbit through all the laughter that was going on.

The dwarves did stop what they were doing to acknowledge the hobbit's presence, but then, after a moment, their laughter started up again. "Here, Liena, why don't you sit while Dwalin and I find some food," said Balin as he lead her to the dining room.

The hobbit watched Balin and Dwalin as they walked away and then looked at Liena, not knowing how to express his frustration.

Liena simply shrugged her shoulders at the Hobbit.

The Hobbit then made his way to the pantry where Balin and Dwalin had planted themselves to seek food.

Thus far on this quest, those whom were also coming along had been quite a surprise to Liena. She could not help but wonder whom else would be coming along and when there was a knock on the door only moments later could not believe that she did not prepare herself for whom was behind that door.

Balin and Dwalin had come back with some food and Liena stepped out of the dining room to catch a peak at whom had arrived; it was Kili and Fili. Liena gasped and rushed back to the dining room. She sat at the table, her heart racing. Both of them on this quest would make the quest for her more tense than it needed to be. Kili and Fili thought it was amusing, but if only they understood how it made her feel. Liena heard their voices become louder and louder as they made their way to the dining room, which caused her pulse to beat faster and faster.

"Mr. Dwalin," she heard Kili greet Dwalin.

Once they were in the dining room, Liena sat, perfectly still, looking straight ahead as if Kili's vision was based on movement. However, Kili did eventually notice Liena, "Liena!"

Liena scrunched up her face at the sound of Kili's voice saying her name, but then forced a smile onto her face and looked up at Kili, "Hello, Kili."

"It's nice of you to join us," he said excitedly before turning back to Dwalin, Balin, and Fili.

Liena looked up at the other dwarves wondering why they were not at least a little hesitant about a young dwarf maiden joining them on their quest. She accepted the fact that they were probably too busy with the excitement of this quest, and seeing one another, that they did not care who would be joining them. All that mattered was that they will soon be taking back Erebor.

"There was another knock on the door, which the hobbit answered with extreme irritation. Not too long afterwards, eight other dwarves were in the dining room, hugging, greeting, and having a merry time. However, these eight dwarves did not come alone; they were accompanied by a wizard. I assumed it was the wizard whom Balin spoke of earlier. I sat at the dining room table and watched as this function happened all over the hobbit hole. The dwarves brought out plates, food, wine, and more chairs out to the table. They did all this in what was a very hazardous manner and if one thought that things could not get any more hazardous with these dwarves, they would most certainly be wrong. A meal with these dwarves was horrific, there were absolutely no manners and everything went as they saw fit. I sat at the table with just a few things on my plate, but it was always hard to find an opportunity to look down at my food to eat it. I always had to be on the lookout for food being tossed this way and that way. This was not even the worst part, Carena. Some dwarves would drink so much they wanted to see who could belch the loudest. It was all very disgusting. I eventually did receive some relief when the dwarves decided to drink at once. It was still atrocious how the liquid would simply spill down their beards, but at least I could just look at my food and eat with some peace. After dinner, the dwarves did something I did not expect considering their table manners; they actually cleaned up after themselves. Though to many cleaning up after yourself seems like such a bother, the dwarves could actually make it into a fun activity; they were even gentleman about it. I was about to rise from my chair to take my plate to the kitchen when one of the dwarves, Ori, came and told me that he would take my plate for me and to not think twice about it. I was extremely impressed by this simple gesture. Gandalf commented on what a merry gathering the dwarves were and, though a moment ago I did find them very hard to be accompanied with, I could not help but agree. It was in this moment of watching them tidy up after dinner and how they did so that I forgot all my troubles and actually enjoyed myself by watching them. However, this happy moment did not last for long; it was dimiinished by a knock on the door and what was behind that door. For Thorin Oakenshield had arrived at the hobbit hole."

**I hope you all loved this chapter! I know that this chapter was just a lot from the movie, but never fear, the next couple of chapters will be more original. Don't forget to post a review at the bottom and happy readings!**


	6. Not Giving Up

**Hello, my lovely readers! So something that I wanted to get out of the way and not have to make an author's note out of because I know that that stinks when you see there's a new chapter and it's just an author's note is that classes start again for me on Monday and what that means is that I won't have a lot of time to write because I will be too busy with school. This does not mean that I'm giving up on this story. How could I when there are exciting opportunities and I haven't even gotten to Kili/Liena fluff. EEEEEK! So, just be patient with me and I will get you more chapters as soon as I can. So, without further ado, here's a new chapter for all you wonderful readers! Hope you love it and please don't forget to post a review at the bottom. Thanks and enjoy! **

Chapter 6: Not Giving Up

"The hobbit opened his door to reveal a dwarf on the other side, but this dwarf was not like any of the other dwarves that were in the company. While the other dwarves had a comical side to them, this one did not. Thorin Oakenshield radiated intimidation and having him in one's presence made that individual extremely hesitant. One felt that if they were to slip up in front of him, they would truly get what was coming at them from that slip up. Though these other dwarves were fierce warriors, they knew they needed Thorin for this quest to be successful; he was the heart of it. I still sat where I was in the dining room and all I wanted was to sneak out of the hole and run home. Thorin's presence in a situation such as this one was far too much for not only my mind, but for my body to take."

Thorin walked into the hobbit hole and explained the reason he was late. Apparently, he had lost his way a few times.

Gandalf took this opportunity to introduce Thorin to the hobbit. This is also when Liena finally picked up on the hobbit's name; Bilbo Baggins.

"So, this is the hobbit," said Thorin, first looking at Bilbo and then looking at the rest of his company. This is when he noticed Liena sitting at the dining room table. His whole facial expression changed into one of shock and anger. "What is your business here?" he asked, angrily as he strode to her.

Liena's heart was pounding. She was frightened of the way he spoke to her and the way his face looked.

"I said what is your business here?" he shouted in her face. He then grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her outside.

As Liena was being dragged outside, she was utterly confused. Why was he so angry at her for being there? Did not her mother tell him she was coming. She told Liena that he expected her.

"Uncle," said Kili as Thorin strode past the dwarves.

Thorin paid no heed to his nephew and simply continued on his way out the door.

Kili chased after them. He found Thorin speaking very sternly to Liena.

Thorin turned to see that his nephew had come outside.

"Uncle, please," he started.

"Kili, get back inside and wait for me with the others. This is no concern of yours, now do as you're told," he said getting very close to his nephew.

"But, uncle, this is no way to treat a lady," said Kli trying to stand up to his uncle.

"I told my sister, your mother, that I would protect you and your brother and if I'm to do so, you need to do as I tell you. Now get inside!" He shouted pointing at the door.

Kili stared into his uncle's eyes for a moment and saw nothing but darkness. Thorin had gone through so much pain in his life that Kili could finally see that he was taking this pain out on others in the way he spoke to them. He finally accepted his uncle's request and went back inside the hole. Before he stepped over the threshold, he gave Liena a look that told her to not fear his uncle and that whatever happened, she would be okay.

Thorin turned back to Liena. "Why did you come? Did not your mother hear me when I refused her request, or do you seek to annoy me?" He asked, invading her personal space.

Liena stood there speechless, "What? My mother told me that I was welcome and that I could be of help to you," she said, almost crying, and stumbling over her words.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, and that you have wasted your time, but you are not welcome," he said turning to go back into the hole.

Before Thorin walked completely into the hole, he turned back to Liena, "I'm very sorry to hear of you and your mother losing your fortune, and if it's of any consolation, I am willing to share some of our treasure with you, but I cannot have a young dwarf maiden accompany us on our quest. Now you must go home," He then slammed the door behind him in his anger.

Liena stood there in Bilbo's front yard feeling nothing but utter stupidity and humiliation. Her mother had lied to her; how could she do such a thing? What did she expect Liena to do when she discovered that Thorin was not so accommodating? In any case, there was no way she would be accompanying the dwarves now. There was only one thing to do; go home. She slowly walked to her pony but when it was time to mount it, she could not; she felt no energy to do so. Liena stood there holding onto her pony's neck and crying into it. "Liena?" she heard behind her. Her head shot up and she turned to see Kili standing there behind her. Liena quickly turned her head back around to wipe her tears away and tried to make her face look presentable like she had never been crying.

Kili was fully aware of her crying. He felt bad and wanted to make sure that she was okay. "Are you alright?" he asked, gently, stepping closer to her.

"Yes, I'm fine," she said, a little sternly, turning back around, sticking her chin up, and putting her hands on her hips. Liena tried to give herself a confident look to convince Kili.

"I'm sorry that he spoke to you like that," he said stepping even closer to her.

Liena was frustrated. She was so frustrated she couldn't hold her tears back any long. "Kili, please stop it! Just stop it right now!" she said very loudly through her tears.

"Liena," he said very gently.

"You have no idea what I've been through, how much stress I feel. All I want is to please my mother and I can't! I've lived my whole life having my mother expect so much of me and I always feel like I disappoint her in the end. And all that you've ever done to me is play tricks on me and laugh at me!" she shouted.

"Liena, you know I never meant it like that," he said trying to hug her.

"Just leave me alone," she said through tears, pushing him away. Liena then mounted her pony and turned to Kili one last time. "I hope you are successful on your quest. Good-bye, Kili," she then rode away on her pony.

Kili stood there watching Liena as she rode away feeling nothing but sorrow for this girl. All he ever wanted was to be her friend. He did have to admit that sometimes he was a little immature, but he truly never meant to harm Liena.

"Kili?" he heard from behind him. He turned to see Fili standing there.

"Yes, brother, what is it?"

"Our uncle needs to speak with all the dwarves and our burglar," said Fili. The significance of the hobbit was they needed someone quiet to sneak into the mountain and "burgle" their treasure back. Hobbits really were very quiet creatures what with their bare feet. They were also quite quick and sneaky. A hobbit was the perfect candidate for the job.

"I'll be right there," sighed Kili. He then turned back to stare off into space and think about Liena.

"Is everything alright?" asked Fili, very curiously. Kili didn't answer but remained standing where he was. Fili eventually figured it out and his entire tone changed. He went to stand beside his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. "She'll be okay," he said, smiling at his brother.

Kili turned to Fili, "I can't help but think that she can not be okay on her own," said Kili very seriously.

"But she has her mother," said Fili trying to sound reassuring.

"Like I said, brother. Alone," Kili then walked into the hobbit hole.

Fili stood there for a second thinking about what Kili had just said and then shrugged it off and went into the hobbit hole.

Liena collected herself and rode back home, but she was still breaking on the inside. He chest was in pain; it felt like someone was stabbing it and twisting the knife as they did so. This pain did not just feel like it was in her chest, but it also felt as if it was affecting her soul. She had to hold back the tears again, but eventually they streamed down her face one at a time until they all spilled out at once. She stopped her pony and covered the face with her hands wailing into them. Liena sat there thinking about how her mother would feel if she did come back home. "As far back as I can remember, Carena, my mother always had high hopes for me; she always had high expectations for me. Sometimes I met those expectations, but most of the time I didn't and she was utterly disappointed in me; I felt so guilty. I felt like I had let her down in some way. I hated it whenever that happened and I couldn't let it ever happen again. It was in that moment when something inside of me changed." Liena picked her head up and stared off into space thinking about all those times when she did fail and disappoint her mother. She turned her head around and looked at the road that she left behind her. She realized that she couldn't let that happen again. She would succeed, bring part of this treasure back to her mother, and save their fortune. She had to prove herself to her mother and this was her chance. Liena turned her pony around and rode back from whence she came. It was fresh in Liena's mind that Thorin would not let her come along on this adventure so she was just going to have to follow them. She did not trust Thorin to willingly give her part of the treasure so she would have to prove her worth for it. How she would do this, she did not know. However, she knew that in order to get there, she needed to take it one step at a time and make it up as she went along. The way to start was to follow the dwarves and let the opportunities arise as they did.


	7. At the Hand of Peril

Chapter 7: At the Hand of Peril

Dawn was approaching as Liena made it back to the hobbit hole. The dwarves had not quite made their way out, but she knew that she couldn't linger there too long or else they may find her. She had to take her best guess as to what direction they may be taking and then go there to wait for them. She rode far from where the hobbit holes were located to find herself in a forest. This forest was unlike a lot of other forests in Middle-Earth. It seemed that everyone cringed when it came to any forest, but this one was nothing to fear. It was still part of the Shire and, after all, there really was nothing evil in the Shire unless someone brought evil to it. So, she rested easy in this forest with one exception; what if she was wrong and the dwarves were not planning on taking this route to the mountain. She would certainly be doomed and have no choice but to go back home. Liena could take her second best guess and go there to find the dwarves but if she did not have a strong start on following them, finding them would be all the more difficult. It was okay that they were not showing up just yet though. After all, they were not even starting on their way when she got back to the hobbit hole, which was only about twenty minutes ago. So she sat on her pony waiting and trying to resist the urge to freak out.

Something else that she decided to do was let her pony go. If she let her pony go, Liena would probably have a better opportunity to be as quiet as possible. However, letting her pony go also meant she couldn't take as many belongings since a great portion of them were on the pony. It was a long tedious process, but she finally figured out what exactly was necessary and then hit the pony's rear to get it to go from whence it came. This action was necessary, but it was also painful; her pony would have been her only friend on this quest, but now, she was alone. Liena then sat herself on the grass and waited for the dwarves, the wizard, and the hobbit to make their way to where she was currently. She had to wait a whole hour and that hour was painful. She couldn't help but think throughout the whole hour that she was wrong and that they had already made their way out to the mountain, taking a different route. But then, she heard the noise of pony's hoofs and the murmuring of dwarves. Her head shot up at the sound and took time to feel the sensation of relief tingle all over her body before quickly running for cover under a bush. She looked closely at the dwarves and saw a wizard but no hobbit. Liena surprised herself by actually being a little irritated at the fact that the hobbit was no where in sight She assumed that Thorin probably told the hobbit that this company was not fit for them and that he should stay behind. Just because someone did not have the appearance of a fierce warrior meant that Thorin was going to tell them they were no good. This is what ran through Liena's mind and it's what irritated her.

"Wait!" Liena heard a voice shout from a distance. She turned her head to see that it was Bilbo running after the dwarves, flailing a long piece of paper in his hand. She couldn't hear anything that was being said after that. But then, Bilbo did accompany them on their way. Now, the company she was following was thirteen dwarves, a wizard, and a hobbit.

Liena followed them for a couple days, which involved her having to sleep a distance from them which made her nervous. One night, she couldn't even sleep because she anticipated trouble too much. However, one night came when she eventually fell sleep, but little did she know what was going to happen. She awoke to the sound of a loud noise, that resembled the sound of thunder, shaking the ground. Liena sat up wondering what this noise was that was getting louder and louder; she looked around, frantically, not seeing anything. She then gasped because she was grabbed by a large hand. She looked up into the face of what grabbed her to see that she was looking into the face of a troll.

"Well, look at wha we ave ere, a little lady dwarf," said the troll.

Liena hung from the hand of the troll feeling the blood rushing to her head and her arms wearing out from hanging upside down.

"I've never had lady dwarf before, but I hear that they is mighty tasty," said the troll as he carried her away to his fire.

Liena had heard that trolls ate absolutely anything which also meant that they would eat dwarves. She was terrified for her life. Now she knew that following the dwarves was a mistake. She felt pathetic and weak for going out like this. Liena would have much rather feel pathetic and weak for going back home than dying this way. All she could do now was hope for a miracle.

"Mother, mother, wait, why didn't you just go the rest of the way home?" asked Carena interrupting her mother from the story.

"Why would I have done that?" asked Liena a little annoyed at her daughter for interrupting.

"That's all you wanted, wasn't it? You were too afraid to go on this quest and so you were going to go home. Why did you not?" asked Carena, sounding annoyed herself.

"I couldn't. I needed to keep going to prove myself to your grandmother," said Liena in her defense.

"But didn't you not want to go?" asked Carena.

"I didn't," said Liena.

"Then you shouldn't have gone," said Carena, lecturing her mother.

Liena sat there feeling ashamed because she disappointed her daughter. Every daughter depended on their to be their role models and what kind of role model was a coward. "I understand that now, Carena, I really do. But I needed to not follow my heart in order to learn just how to do it."

Carena gave her mother a confused look but had not choice to just sit and listen to the rest of her mother's tale.

**Hello readers! I just want to say that this story has 26 reviews in only 6 chapters. That is a record for me! Thank you all so much for the reviews! You are what makes the story happen. ;-) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please don't forget to add yet another review down at the bottom. **


	8. Unexpected Yet Sweet

**I know what you're all thinking as you read the title of this chapter. You're probably thinking that it's just like the one-shot and since you already read the one-shot, you don't need to read this chapter. I amended this chapter a little bit and added some things so I would totally recommend still reading it if you've already read it the one-shot. To those of you who have not read my one-shot that this story is based on, read, enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review at the bottom! ;-)**

Chapter 8: Unexpected Yet Sweet

The troll hung Liena upside down only by the ankle. "I could only watch in horror as the troll was trying to decide how to cook and eat me. I was truly done for. The dwarves were near by but none of them were awake enough to hear my screams. I had to hold the tears back and it was a very hard thing to do. Dying was devastating but I didn't want to die a weak person. I wanted to go out of this life a strong person and be an encouragement to others who would ever find themselves in my place. So I hung there waiting and letting the few tears I would allow roll down my cheeks."

"It really is a shame to eat something so pretty, but at the same time, you do look mighty tasty," said the troll. "Any last words before I skin you alive," he said holding a knife up to her.

"I was hoping that he would devour me right then and there and not make me go through even more torment. This made even more tears fall down my face only thinking about the pain that I would experience being skinned. The pain then resided for some reason which I wasn't sure why."

The Troll all of a sudden started crying out in pain. Liena looked down to see that the troll had huge cuts in his feet from which blood was trickling out. She found this hopeful because maybe while he was distracted by pain, she could somehow get away but then heard a familiar voice. It was a voice, though often and too many times said some very nasty, teasing, things to Liena, she was so very glad to hear at this particular moment of peril.

"I would put her down if I were you, monster," said the voice of Kili.

Liena could not see his face but she tried to turn her body around as much as possible to see it so she could be assured of his presence.

The troll laughed at this puny creature threatening him. He could not imagine what a tiny dwarf could possibly do to a mighty troll such as him. "And what makes you think I will listen to you, you puny dwarf," said the troll trying to sound intimidatingly.

"This was all a relief because the situation was no longer terrifying. This troll was now getting very irritating."

Kili was getting irritated at this troll's pompous attitude, "I said let her go," he said, pulling out an arrow, and placing it in his bow.

The troll laughed even harder this time at the sight of the dwarf's puny weapon, "And what do you think you could possibly do with those puny weapons, little dwarf?"

A smirk appeared on Kili's face before he pointed the arrow at the troll and shot it in his mouth in the blink of an eye.

Liena shrieked the second Kili shot the arrow. She knew that Kili's aim was nothing to doubt, but at the same time, everyone makes mistakes at one point or another in life.

The troll gasped suddenly but then moaned and groaned trying to keep his balance. As he was losing control in his legs, he was also losing control in his arms; so he dropped her.

Liena went careening down to the ground in terror knowing that she would fall to her death, but then, right before she hit the ground, she felt strong, warm, arms catch me. Liena looked up at Kili's face to see that he was smiling down upon her.

"It's okay, Liena, I'm right here. Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" whispered Kili, softly into her ear.

"I didn't answer for a moment. I was too preoccupied with how gentle and caring he was behaving. He was never anything that felt gentle or caring or the least bit attractive. Now he was showing a different side to himself. Though it gave me a weird feeling, it wasn't all a bad feeling."

"Yes, I'm alright," Liena whispered back to him fainting from the relief of no longer being in peril but now being in this dwarf's arms.

Liena awoke after what felt like only seconds and sat up to find herself in the camp with the rest of the dwarves. She looked around, frantically, scared of her surroundings. What if one of the dwarves woke up and found her there? She would surely be in trouble. Liena gathered her belongings and made a run for it but didn't make it that far. As she ran, a hand wrapped itself around her wrist, bringing her to an abrupt halt, "Please, let me go," she said wanting to shout but remembering she had to be quiet for fear that she might wake the dwarves.

"Liena, why did you follow us? You know that if you became part of this expedition you might get killed," said the soft voice of Kili.

Liena stopped struggling and turned to see Kili holding her wrist, "I had to," she said almost coming to tears.

Kili lowered his head so that he might look into the eyes of the dwarf maiden whom stood before him, "Why?" he asked.

Liena did not want Kili to see the tears that were streaming down her face one at a time, so she looked to the ground, "I had to know that he would stay true to his end of the bargain."

Looking at what he could see of her face, Kili knew that there was far more to it than that. However, he did not want to torture this girl with more questions, so he accepted what she told him. "Well, in that case, I can't have you wandering these parts by yourself; so you're going to have to stay with us."

"But but but Thorin, he will be angry with me and will most likely give me a good beating," she said frantically, stumbling over her words.

"I highly doubt that he will give you a beating, but yes he will most likely be very angry. I won't make it so you have to be seen by the other dwarves. If you want, I will be the only one who can see you. I will watch over you," said Kili smiling at her.

Liena looked down, blushing, "You would really do that?" she said looking back up at him, smiling.

"Of course," he said very softly, "Now, come sit with me by the fire." Kili turned and walked back to the fire trusting that Liena followed him and she did.

Once Kili felt Liena's presence next to him, he looked to her and smiled.

She smiled back at him. "Kili, how did you know?"

"Know what?" he asked still smiling.

"That I was in danger?"

"I heard your scream," he said.

"Did you know it was me?" Liena asked blushing a little. She wasn't sure why but the thought of him thinking of her and being worried about her made feel special.

"I did not," he said.

She had more questions but had to look away because she did not want Kili to see the blush that crept onto her face. "When you held me in your arms, I felt something that I never felt before from you. Ever since as far back as I can remember, you always teased me. You were always a...scoundrel." It was hard to get this word out of her mouth because the last thing she wanted to do to him right after he did her such a huge favor was be rude to him. "But then when you held me in your arms, it was gentle. It was like seeing another side of you."

Kili looked down and smirked. "You know, all those times when I teased you were never to hurt you. I did it for another reason," he said softly.

She looked away again hiding her blush knowing what he probably meant by what he just said. "Well, in any case, you saved my life. I was so scared and you saved me. Is there anyway I can repay you?" she asked.

"Let me show you just how gentle I can be," he said in a whisper.

He was leaning into Liena which made her cautious.

Kili could tell that Liena was nervous as he leaned into her, so he placed a hand on her shoulder in order to calm her, "Don't be frightened, Liena. Shhh," he said in a gentle whisper.

Before Liena knew it, he was gently kissing her lips. This was definitely a different side to him. In all her years of knowing him, never did she suspect that he would ever want to kiss her. Sure, he might try to get her hopes up by making her think he was going to kiss her, but she never thought he would actually do it. Liena felt something that she had never felt before; she felt every inch, corner, nook, and crany of me becoming rejuvinated. However, she still trembled and when they parted, she looked around frantically.

"What's wrong, Liena?" asked Kili, chuckling.

"I was looking for what monstrous parasite you would place on me as you kissed me," said Liena, gasping for air. This was her first kiss and she had no idea how much of your breathe was taken away just from one simple kiss.

Kili chuckled again at the dwarf maiden for her assumption, "No Liena," he whispered caressing her cheek with his thumb, "No more tricks; I promise you."

Liena looked into his eyes and still saw the same little dwarf lad full of pranks. "How do I know you will change?" asked Liena, looking down at her lap.

"I don't expect you to trust me at first. How can you after how long I've played pranks on you. But, I hope that you can give me a chance," said Kili in a hopeful tone of voice.

Liena looked back at the dwarf's face. She stared into his beautiful eyes seeing nothing but a pleading look. How could she resist? "I will give you a chance, Kili."

He smiled at her before taking her face with his hand and gently kissing her cheek.

Liena awoke the next morning in a position she never thought she would find herself in; she had fallen asleep in Kili's arms, his face nuzzled into her neck. However, she didn't freak out thinking that he had played a prank on her in the middle of the night. "I could feel my trust for him sinking in and I actually enjoyed being in his arms; it made me feel safe. It truly was one of the happiest moments of my life. I had never felt the tender loving care that I felt in that moment in Kili's arms and through Kili's kisses." She was truly in a state of bliss until she turned her head to see Ori standing there staring down upon them with a look of utter shock and confusion on his face.


	9. What is Forbidden

**Hey guys! I know that I might have scared you and you might have thought that I was never going to update again. Well, school is over for the Summer so expect to hear from me much more. ;-) Sorry about that little lull this story experienced but I'm getting back on track and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. **

**What is Forbidden**

Liena laid beside Kili with her head turned staring at Ori who was staring down at Liena and Kili with a look of shock on his face. All Liena could think was how could she let this happen. How could she let herself fall asleep beside Kili the night before when letting herself be seen by one of the dwarves would be terrible? She could not speak but was trying to say words to Ori; words that would tell him to not tell Thorin of the situation. Eventually, she could get the words out of her mouth. "Or..Or...Ori..d..dont."

Before she could get this last word out of her mouth, Ori went running to wake Thorin.

Once Ori ran away, Liena turned to Kili who was lying next to her. She pushed his shoulder until he woke up, "Kili, please wake up," she hissed loudly.

Kili eventually woke up and looked up to see Liena looking down at him. He sat up with a smile on his face, "Good morning, Liena," he said softly to her.

"Ori saw us lying next to each other and I believe he ran to tell Thorin," she said in a panic. They both turned to see Thorin staring down at them with a look of anger in his eyes. "Liena, I shall speak with you first," he then turned around expecting Liena to follow him.

Liena was terrified of what Kili's uncle would do to her. She turned to look at Kili beholding shear terror in her eyes, "Kili," she said the tears almost streaming down her face.

"Be strong, Liena," he said immediately cupping her cheek, "he's not going to harm you." They stared into each other's eyes for a moment which caused Kili to smile. He did not like to see her so scared but at the same time, while she was scared, she displayed her vulnerability. Kili appreciated this vulnerable side of her; it give him even more of an excuse to protect her.

Without saying another word, Liena stood and followed behind Thorin.

Thorin and Liena were quite a distance off when Thorin stopped walking.

Liena stood in anticipation waiting for how Thorin would reign his wrath down upon her.

He turned to face Liena but still did not say anything right away.

Liena thought that she would finally be brought out of her misery by Thorin reigning his wrath down upon her but since he still did not talk, she had to keep standing in nervous anticipation waiting for it.

"Why did you disobey me?" he asked very seriously but very collectively.

Liena was still nervous but it was alliviated a little only because the way he approached her was not at all as she thought it would be. "I had to know that you would hold up your end of the bargain," she said quietly, looking to the ground.

"Why do you not trust me?" asked Thorin slowly stepping towards her.

At first she was not quite sure how to answer, so she looked to the ground trying to think of a way to answer this question feeling the anxious anticipation rise from how close he was getting to her; it intimidated her. "Why should I trust you?" she said gaining a more confident tone in her voice and looking up at Thorin who was only inches away from her.

Thorin stared down into her eyes feeling a bit taken aback at how confident her tone was. Only a second ago, she was completely under his intimidation and now it seemed that she had overcome that intimidation and was now trying to top him. He was not use to others treating him in such a way. He never thought of himself as a tyrannous dictator, but he was fully aware that he was the rightful king under the mountain and that he was due reverence from others. He could not think of a way to answer her question. Afterall, they did not know each other too awful well and when one does not know someone else that well, it is common knowledge that that person is not expected to be trusted. "I am your king and as your king you must practice the exercise of trusting me and above all else, it is your duty to obey your king. You must go home and I mean it this time, Liena. If you disobey me once more, there will be consequences and they will be severe," he said turning his back to Liena, regaining his intimidation over her. He then stepped back away from her, "Now leave me and bid Kili come."

Liena stood there for a moment longer thinking to herself about everything that had just gone on. She could not believe that had just happened and how quickly it had happened. Liena expected a long and drawn out lecture from him that would be ten times more dreadful than the one she had just received. Eventually, the thought was shrugged off and Liena obeyed Thorin's command and walked away from him, making her way back to Kili.

Kili had been sitting in the grass waiting for Liena. He knew that his uncle was a good dwarf and would not do anything to harm Liena but at the same time he could not help but worry for her. He assumed it was more worry for her calmness. Kili was fully aware of how anxious she had been her whole life and wanted nothing more for her than a calm atmosphere where she could be free and happy. He then turned his head to see her coming back to him. He stood from where he sat and approached her. "Are you alright?" he asked holding her elbows.

Liena looked back up at Kili with a tear stained face. She had been crying on her way back because she was afraid of what Thorin would say to Kili and what he would assume they had been doing the night before.

Kili's heart broke from the sight of Liena's face; did Thorin do something to hurt Liena? "Liena," he said gently and softly.

"Your uncle demands your presence," she said interrupting Kili. She then walked away from his grasp and from him.

Kili turned to see Liena walk away looking heart broken. He felt nothing but anger and was ready to show his uncle a piece of his mind.

Kili approached his uncle with an appearance of confidence. His whole life he knew that his uncle would never do anything to harm him. At the same time, Thorin was always very intimidating to Kili which always made Kili feel a bit cautious around his uncle. Kili knew that Fili felt the same way towards their uncle. But this time there was another person involved who Kili cared a lot about and he wasn't going to let his uncle step all over her. He stood in Thorin's presence waiting, ready for whatever his uncle was going to say.

Thorin turned to see his nephew standing in his presence with a look of confidence that he did not think he ever saw any of his dwarves stand before him with. Of course they always held some confidence or else Thorin probably would not have accepted them but this was a different confidence that Thorin never thought any of his dwarves had the guts to stand in Thorin's presence with. "Have not I always taught you to treat maiden dwarves with honor and respect?" asked Thorin, rhetorically, starting to turn his back to Kili.

"Uncle, we weren't doing anything that wasn't honorable," said Kili sternly.

"Kili, I know that you care for Liena; believe me, I do. She is a very desirable dwarf maiden but you still should not put yourself into any situation in which you would be tempted to do anything dishonorable. In any case, we could get her home but that would only slow us down. So we are going to have to let her come along with us. I am putting her in your responsibility and I only have one request for you," Thorin stepped closer to Kili invading his space, "keep your eyes on the prize and do not let anything distract you...even her."


End file.
